TAIPEI - A tourist bus carrying over 30 passengers from the Chinese mainland overturned on Friday evening in Taiwan's Hualien, causing multiple severe injuries.

According to local reports, one of the injured people's breathing and heartbeat have stopped.

An official surnamed Chen with Hualien's local firefighting agency told Xinhua that the agency received the accident report at 6:14 pm Friday.

A total of 34 people, including 32 mainland tourists, a Taiwan's driver and a guide, were on the bus when the accident took place.

All of the passengers suffered at least minor injuries, with a number of them seriously wounded, Chen said. A total of 13 ambulances and several fire vehicles were sent to the scene of the crash, and most of the injured have been taken to hospital.

The cause of the accident is currently under investigation.